


Who are you?

by NatalieRyan



Series: Cold Open Challenge [7]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Cold Open Challenge, Gen, Hurt Jack, Hurt Mac, Improvise Day, In The Woods, Mac and Jack - Freeform, almost-escape, my cold open, they are in the middle of nowhere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:53:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25227862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatalieRyan/pseuds/NatalieRyan
Summary: Part 7 of the Cold Open Challenge.Improvise Day – my own cold open
Relationships: Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Series: Cold Open Challenge [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818604
Comments: 24
Kudos: 50





	Who are you?

**Author's Note:**

> How are we in day 7 of the challenge? This week flew by so fast it leaves my head reeling. I had so much fun writing these stories, the whole process from brainstorming to an actual story.  
> Today's story is my own version of a cold open. Until last Sunday I had no idea what to write for, and what to even include, and then I simply got this idea of Mac running and supporting unconscious Jack... and here we are.  
> Infinite thanks to SabbyStarlight for listening to me complain how I won't have a 7th story and then when I started writing she supplied me with the line that ended up being last in this story.  
> Hope it feels like a cold open.  
> Edit by me.  
> Title: "Who are you?" by The Who.

"Jack, wake up, man. Please. I've been dragging your butt through the forest for hours now, it's not funny. Please, just, come back to me." 

But Jack was still unresponsive next to Mac on the ground. Mac stopped to rest for a bit and drink some water. He was exhausted and was sure even his bruises had bruises. He was aching all over from where he dragged Jack all morning, but those bruises were nothing in comparison to saving his partner. His partner whose voice Mac dearly missed in that Texan accent, guiding him through the op, spinning stories that led nowhere but said so much. Quiet Jack was not good. Not good at all. Even bleeding and on the ground, he still talked. Jack never shut up.

Except now. 

Mac wiped a tired hand over his face. With a gasp he realized it was shaking. One more realization hit him when Mac realized it wasn't just his hand shaking. It was more like he was trembling all over. And if his hands were shaking, he wouldn't be able to get them out and his brain screamed "Help Jack" on a loop. He had to calm down, quail on the helplessness and figure a way out.

Mac really wished Jack was just going to wake up. He was running out of ideas, and he didn't know in which direction they were going. He only had that bottle of water he found on his way out and his SAK that he managed to get it back before they had to run. 

This morning when they broke out of the compound where their captors took them, Mac had a plan. He was gonna create a gas to knock them all out and then they could walk away freely. But one guy wasn't inside. And started firing at them. When he spent his bullets and Mac and Jack had to break cover, he started to come at them with the rifle. Before Mac could do anything to stop him, the guy clocked Jack on the side of the head with the butt of the rifle. Jack dropped like a deadweight and Mac's plan turned into frantic pleas for Jack to wake up. Mac could still hear the sickening thud when the rifle connected with Jack's head. 

When that didn't help, Mac carefully helped Jack's unresponsive body to a standing position and bugged the hell out before the rest woke up and followed them. 

Mac took a deep breath. It was important not to panic. It didn't matter that it wasn't a bomb, Peña taught him not to give in to emotions. It was easier said than done when your partner was sitting unconscious next to you, dried blood all over the left side of his face and neck. 

Mac was going to cry. Or scream. Possibly both. Why was their luck always so bad? Easy in and easy out. It was never that easy. Not when you had the gun drop out on you and being captured. 

Mac hissed when he tried to move and loosen up. His bruises pulled at his skin and his shirt rode against the cattle prod burns littering his stomach and chest. Being so focused on Jack made Mac forget about his own injuries. 

Doing a quick check up on Jack, Mac found the same injuries on his partner. At least while being unconscious, Jack wasn't gonna feel the pain of all the hits and shocks. 

Mac leaned his head on Jack's shoulder and huddled for warmth. They were in the middle of nowhere (it wasn't exactly like Mac had a compass on him when they left for the mission and it wasn't exactly cold, but the exhaustion coupled with the fear and the abating adrenaline left Mac feeling cold) and Jack still wasn't waking up. Jack was always warm and Mac knew he was selfish for using his partner as a heating source, but Mac convinced himself it was only for a little while. Only until Mac got his bearings and found them a way out.

Mac let the steady, if only a little bit erratic beating of Jack's heart to calm him down. It was all that he could get at the moment, and it had to be enough. Until Mac figured out a way to get them to safety. He had to. Jack needed help. He couldn't leave his partner hanging, uncertain if the injury to his head was serious. They've been pistol whipped before, and Mac winced at the splitting headache that kind of action left behind. But he'd help Jack. He'll be there, taking care of the man he came to see as family. Mac was going to have to come up with an excuse for Bozer because he had to stay with Jack though. There was no doubt in Mac's mind that Jack was going to have one hell of a concussion. And no way of Jack coming down from the concussion alone.

Mac shuddered when he felt the wind pick up. He didn't have his jacket on for this mission, but they took the coat he wore. He was only in a tank top with one of his trusted plaid shirts over it that did nothing to stop the chills. Mac closed his eyes.

It felt like it was only minutes later when Mac woke up with a start. There was something heavy on top of his head, but it felt warm and it was going through his hair. It felt almost like when his mom ran her hands through too long strands of hair to offer comfort when Mac was little. Mac smiled and moved towards the comfort when it hit him. He wasn't the kid from his memories and the hand was definitely not his mother's. In the split of the second it all came back to him. 

Mac moved too fast and gave himself whiplash thus dislodging the hand that fell to his shoulder and squeezed. 

"Easy there, hoss. We are okay." 

Mac shook his head, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes and for all functions to come online. His…  _ everything _ hurt. 

"Ow." 

"Tell me about it." 

Jack groaned as he moved around and pulled Mac to face him. 

"Y'u 'kay, hoss?" 

Mac looked at him and started laughing. One of those post adrenaline, hysterical laughs. That turned into tears that Mac started wiping immediately. He couldn't let Jack see how rattled he was. Show no weakness. Although Jack had already seen him at some of his most embarrassing moments so Mac was sure Jack wouldn't mind. But still. 

"Hey, hey, hey." 

Jack's hands were on his face, trying to see what was wrong and the look in his eyes was full with worry. 

"Are you okay? Mac?" 

"You…" Mac hiccuped. From the cold or the crying, he had no idea, "You are the one that's been out for hours and you ask me if I'm okay? Only you, Jack." 

"Yeah, w'll, my partner is my number one priority." 

Mac took a deep breath to calm down. 

"How long was I out?" 

"Dunno. They broke my watch so no way to tell the time except I think I woke up fifteen minutes ago?" 

"God, I shouldn't have stopped. C'mon, let's bounce." 

"That's usually my line, hoss." 

Mac smiled at Jack and helped him on his feet. They started a painful trek that they had no idea where it led. Mac only knew that they should keep going and not stop until they were somewhere safe. 

Mac still took most of Jack's weight, but this time Jack was awake and more or less coherent.

They pushed on forward, getting scraped by tree branches and occasionally tripping over stones on the ground. Mac had the uneasy feeling that they were being followed, but he couldn't stop to take a look. Next to him Jack started listing towards him more and more until he swayed and it was thanks to Mac's quick reflexes that they didn't fall face first on the ground, and Mac didn't end up with his partner almost crushing him. 

"I think we should stop for a bit. Here, let's get you seated here."

"We should keep goin'. Don't st'p on my account, hoss."

"I'm not gonna leave you alone." 

"You should go… get help." 

Mac could see that it took a lot of effort for Jack to form a coherent response. 

"Forget it, I'm not going." 

They sat on the slightly damp ground when Jack started to turn even more pale and suddenly fumbled with his jacket. 

"Mac, I don't feel so good." 

"Oh, no, no, no. Don't close your eyes. Jack, c'mon look at me." 

Jack had trouble keeping his eyes open, but he started to rummage through his jacket and pulled something just as Mac heard steps closing in on them.

"It's going to be f'ne, hoss. I have just the thing." 

"What…?" 

"It's gonna be fine. I managed to sneak this from one of the goons. Here." 

Mac accepted the item Jack handed him and saw it was a sat phone. He started dialing Director Thornton's number while simultaneously trying to wake up Jack. His sigh of relief when the phone call finally connected was short-lived. 

Mac heard a gun being cocked behind him. 

Now he was in the middle of nowhere, a phone call from exfil away with an unconscious partner.

"Argh, everything is not FINE, Jack!" 

**Author's Note:**

> _Thoughts? ___


End file.
